Zildjian stick quality improved since Vic Firth merger?

alparrott

Diamond Member
So I never used to care for Zildjian's sticks, especially their not-signature sticks. It seemed like they were made of especially soft hickory that appeared to flake and chip extremely easily.

As part of the Peter Erskine thing at Donn Bennett's yesterday, they had a special, all Zildjian sticks for $5. I said, what the hell, it's post-merger, who knows, and bought a pair of Super 5Bs (the Zildjian analog to my favored Vic Firth stick, the X5B). And you know what... I have not liked a Zildjian stick this much in, like, ever. It feels a lot more like a Vic in my hands than the old ones ever did.

Anyone else notice quality improvements in their sticks? Seems almost like post-merger, Vic is doing some of the stick work for Zildjian...

Any VF/Zildjian stick endorsers on the page who'd like to comment?
 
They still suck. I was given a pair recently and they felt unmatched and they broke pretty quickly, just like I remember them doing pre-merger. I have never been a fan of Zildjian sticks because they have never held up for me... ever!
 
They still suck. I was given a pair recently and they felt unmatched and they broke pretty quickly, just like I remember them doing pre-merger. I have never been a fan of Zildjian sticks because they have never held up for me... ever!

Hmm. Maybe you got an older pair? Or I got a pair of somehow mislabeled Vics...?
 
I hadn't played a Zildjian stick in over 20 years because of all the bad experiences I had with them. I was lucky enough to be given 3 bricks by a friend. They are much better sticks than they were. They last me quite a bit longer than Vic Firths.
 
I've got a couple of pairs of them hanging around in my stick bag. I find lately that I'm moving back and forth between sticks, switching between Vater, VF, and Zildjian.... All 5A, but they all have a slightly different feel, and I'll choose based on my mood for the day...

I realized after reading this that I've been using the same pair of Zildjian sticks for nearly three months now, and they're still going strong. It's in rotation with the others, but still, that's pretty good! I think they get at least a few hours a week of play time, and they seem to be doing ok!

Haha, I just remembered I also have a pair of these hanging around in a box of spare sticks beside my kit... Anyone still using/ever use these?
 

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FYI....

Vic Firth had been making Zildjian's sticks loooooong before the "merger'...

Out of what? Soap? I notice a big difference now...
 
In all fairness, you bought one pair and the mark of a good stick company is consistent quality control. You might need to buy them regularly for a definitive view.

Excellent point. I do need a few new pairs soon, and this will be a good chance to see if this was just a remarkably good pair or it was the ONLY good pair this year.
 
I bought a few pairs and also some brushes recently, and don't have any complaints about them.

A couple of pairs have that same type of rubbery coating on the grip that the brushes do. Like these: http://zildjian.com/Products/Drumsticks-and-Mallets/DIP-Series/5A-Wood-Black-Dip
and the brushes: http://zildjian.com/Products/Drumst...pecialty-Sticks/Prof-Wire-Brushes-Retractable

At first I thought it was too sticky and didn't feel right. But either they take some breaking in, or I've just gotten used to them. I like them now.
 
I bought a few pairs and also some brushes recently, and don't have any complaints about them.
A couple of pairs have that same type of rubbery coating on the grip that the brushes do. At first I thought it was too sticky and didn't feel right. But either they take some breaking in, or I've just gotten used to them. I like them now.

Their dipped sticks have never been as good as VF's Vic Grip, to me. Vic Grip works as advertised; Dip results in dime-sized blisters on the insides of my thumb and pointer fingers.
 
Unless they've changed greatly, the only sticks worth playing from Zildjian are the birch ones (one of the few makers using birch as well). The Heavy Jazz are an awesome pair of sticks. The tone is bright, but full because of the extra weight. These sticks are 7A diameter but feel like 5Bs. Certainly worth trying if you haven't already
 
I used Zildjian sticks for a spell a few years ago. I didn't have any problems with them. They were average.
Firth are my stick of choice though. I can't see buying Zildjian sticks when I can simply buy Vic Firth.
 
So I've started wearing through these sticks and as I do get into them, I'm noticing that they are a little more hardy than past Zildjians, but still seem a bit softer than Vics. So the jury is out until I either buy some more sticks or abandon the experiment altogether.

However, I just picked up a set of Ahead Rock sticks that I've had for a while and suddenly found a sweet fulcrum spot on them (quite different from my usual gripping point). Suddenly they came alive to me. I may be off of wood sticks for a nonce.
 
I bought a few pairs and also some brushes recently, and don't have any complaints about them.

A couple of pairs have that same type of rubbery coating on the grip that the brushes do.

the brushes: http://zildjian.com/Products/Drumst...pecialty-Sticks/Prof-Wire-Brushes-Retractable


Here's a secret... those brushes are not made by Zildjian.... another well known "brush company" makes them.

They also make the purple Vic Firth brush...

I'll give you a hint, it's not any of these companies.... Vic, Zil, Vater, Pro Mark...
 
Tried them once again recently and still unhappy with them. grrrrr.

I do like their standard wood tip Rock model.
Always did, and would occasionally go back and "try them" to see if it was better and improved - and again, too inconsistent and early breakage, so Ive stayed with ProMark Oak sticks, which are just a better fit for me.
 
I picked up a couple pair of black Super 5bs on clearance and liked them. I find they wear well and feel very comfortable. I just bought another batch of black 5Bs, not Supers, and the paint is marking my cymbals. NOT happy!!!!!
 
I picked up a pair of Zildjian 5B sticks about a month ago because they had nothing else in the store. I'm actually very happy with them this time. They haven't broke yet and they were straight. The sticks were matched well too. The only thing I can see wrong with them, which isn't really an issue for me, is that the paint has all worn off and there are no markings left on the sticks after just a month's worth of use. They are completely clean. Still going strong though. Maybe they are saving money by using a water based paint rather than an oil based one. Who knows?
 
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